Quote  ·  Added 14 February 2026

Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition and myth frame our response. Arthur M.

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.The Disuniting of America, p. 25, 1992

Filed underscience·tradition·response

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Memory decides what technology means

We live in a world that changes faster than we can process it. A new app, a medical breakthrough, an AI tool—these things arrive and reshape what we do before we've really decided how to feel about them. But here's what's interesting: our actual response to these innovations isn't determined by the technology itself. It's determined by the stories we tell ourselves, the lessons we've carried from the past, and the way our grandparents taught us to think about change.

Consider how differently people react to the same new technology. Some embrace it immediately, others resist fiercely, and most of us hover somewhere uncertain. That split often comes down to which historical narratives we trust. If your family's story includes "new things destroyed our way of life," you'll approach innovation differently than someone whose tradition emphasizes "we've survived change before." Memory and myth act like a filter, deciding what we allow to matter and what we dismiss.

This means the tech itself is only half the battle. The real work happens in deciding what values we want to preserve as everything transforms, and which old wisdom might actually still apply. The future isn't just about what we can build—it's about what we choose to carry forward.

The author

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

1917–2007·lived 89 years

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. was an American historian, social critic, and public intellectual, known for his works on American history and politics, particularly in the 20th century. He served as a special assistant to President John F. Kennedy and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his book "A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House." Schlesinger was a prominent advocate of liberalism and a key figure in the historical and political discourse of his time.

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